Spring Break Project NickEmily
by Sabubu
Summary: 500 Word One-Shots to 6 Random Songs. Nick/Emily My OC from the story Light at the End centric.
1. All That I'm Living For

**_01 Evanescence - All That I'm Living For_**

_6 Months after being rescued, Sanctuary is overrun by the new strain of the infection. Emily and Ellis are rescued from the rebels and their coliseum. They signal a helicopter that strayed from the rest but they are being attacked by a lot of infected._

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><p>"Oh, thank God," Fiona said through her panting, clutching Ellis' hand tightly beside her. They collapsed onto the helicopter as all of the energy in them slipped away, leaving them breathless and immovable on the floor. The pilot in the front turned his head and yelled back to them, muffled against the chopper's blades spinning overhead. Nick made out the words mostly by sight, the blood in his head rushing and making his ears unusable; "Hold on! We gotta go now!" With the last little bit of energy, he pushed himself onto his knees and patted the pilot's back to show that he heard and they were ready.<p>

Emily lifted her head, still on her knees, as Nick reached back and touched her shoulder as though everything would be okay from there on, despite how pessimistic he remained to be. She smiled at him briefly, but then horror shot across her face. Everyone noticed immediately, but as soon as she opened her mouth to speak, the tongue around her waist yanked back.

A Smoker had caught her.

"N-" She reached out, felt her fingers brush his, saw the terror on his face, and then she saw the ledge of the copter rise above her head. Over the scream of the abandoning helicopter and the roar of the horde ready to catch her below, she heard her name called shrilly. Falling towards the ground, probably her death, she looked up and saw him again, vainly reaching for her. She felt her expression plead for help.

The tongue tugged and pulled her to the source instead of letting her hit the ground. She felt her feet touch outreached hands underneath. Next thing she knew, her back was pressed up against something disgusting, neither man nor animal, and a thick smog clouded her eyes and choked her lungs. Emily coughed and flailed to get away. Through the smoke she could see infected coming at her, gnashing their teeth and reaching for her. And then a bullet whizzed past her face and the Smoker's tongue unraveled from around her. She hit her knees and tried to clear her airways. And then she cried and pushed the limp tongue away, utilized her shaking legs, and picked up the sword that had fallen from its sheath still strapped to her back. The helicopter flew away, but she kept her eye on it.

Ready to cut through the undead like water, she ran for them as fast as she could. Knowing her legs would not carry her fast enough, at least escaping from the zombies would give her a chance to reunite with them eventually.

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><p>After all they had been through... it had to end like this? Nick punched the wall with all the anger and frustration he felt. But the strength left was too sparse and he fell against it, forehead pressed to the cold metal and his eyes shut tight. Ellis cradled Fiona as Akiko sat in the back silently and no one said a thing. Despite arguing with the pilot, they could not go back with that many infected closing in. And they had left too fast to put her out of the eventual misery.<p>

Something foreign clumped in his throat and suddenly the pistol at his hip grew heavy yet welcoming.

"She's gone..."


	2. Special K

**_02__ Placebo - Special K_**

_After being rescued in the Parish, Nick is trying to ignore the obvious link between him and Emily, especially after having spur-of-the-moment sex with her in a safe-room._

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><p>She was so soft, he remembered, her arm in his hand and his lips over hers, crushing and frantic. There was no way of telling which side was so crazy; everything was such a blur and it seemed to end in seconds. But in his dreams that haunted him, it felt like forever and he was the one grasping to hold on. They were always different but had the same end, the same feel. He would let her down from the wall, still in shock about what had occurred, and adjust himself while shivered, a strange expression on her face that made him want to do it all over again, to exist forever like that. But she cleaned herself up the best she could, flushed under the glances he stole, and they had to dive back into the hell outside.<p>

When Nick woke up, the memory stayed fresh, her helpless face burnt into his eyelids. He felt hot all over, on fire from brands alight all over him, stuck into his flesh from every time he thought of her. He could never focus on his surroundings, his head pulsing still with their moans as he sat up and tried to stand. Sweat made him stick to the blankets, wrapped around his legs from hours of tossing and crumpled where his hands clenched. He would press his hot hand to his face and hunch over, feet on the nicely cool carpet and his head down. And every night, he would question himself.

Something was wrong, according to how his heart and body ached, but when he would hear her voice in the morning, his hurting insides would sigh and his fingers just wanted to touch her hand or his lips wanted to taste hers. His gut would flip-flop and he would remember.

Her fingers wrapped around his shoulders, digging into the sleeve of his nasty, blue button-up. Her legs shaking but wrapped around his waste as his hands held her thighs. Her soft breath on his neck as she tried not to make a sound, full of squeaks and whimpers. Her lips would brush the crook of his neck as she hid her face and her ears were as hot as her cheeks. His shirt, missing buttons, slid a little further off his shoulder and he kissed her neck when her teeth bit into his skin. Her cries were muffled and he squeezed her thighs when the bliss shot through him like lightning.

Minutes were hours now and he would never forget no matter how hard he tried. No matter how many times he shoved her away, he would want to pull her back again; he would want to love her. Each time he gave a nasty word, her smile would twist and disappear. He would sit alone, unable to forget it. And then he would have to go back to bed, alone when he did not want to be, to face another night of holding onto a memory so chaotic he wanted to beg it to go away.

But Emily would always leave him a drooling mess on the floor.

And there was no chance of getting away.


	3. Personal Jesus

**_03__ Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus_**

_The survivors are taking a break in the swamp while they can after getting past the drawbridge fiasco. Most of them are napping in the safe room._

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><p>The night was silent and lonely yet beautiful. There were no clouds in the sky, welcome as it meant the temperature would drop enough to be comfortable, and billions of stars shone brightly in the sky, like glitter dusted around the full moon. Emily sat on that roof, swiping at mosquitoes that buzzed around her head and taunted her peace of mind with irritation. When the moon could no longer quell her need for silence, she shook her head violently and flailed at the annoying bugs around her. She hated swamps.<p>

Someone behind her cleared their throat, making her jump and stop her spasms. She turned around, fixing her bangs so she could see who it was. Nick. He looked tired, bags under his eyes just like everyone else. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his jacket but he seemed uncomfortable with how gross his clothes were with blood and swamp water. She looked confused as he came over and flopped down beside her, eyes on the ground instead of the sky.

"Can't sleep either?" she asked politely, deciding to strike up conversation with him. That was something she usually chickened out of. He hummed and nodded, then sighed and titled his head to the side to stretch his neck.

"Coach snores like a Harley-Davidson." She giggled but quickly covered her mouth when glanced at her with a face that said it was no laughing matter. When he slowly looked forward again, she lowered her hand and smiled warmly. He did not see it. A long silence, less awkward than one would expect, passed before Emily craved a deeper insight to this pessimistic conman.

"Can I ask you a question?" His frown deepened and he did not look at her.

"You just did." She shook her head, laughing a little before asking her real question.

"What keeps you going?" He gave up and looked over at her, one eyebrow raised.

"What the hell do you mean?" She blushed and pointed to herself.

"I mean, Fi and Akiko are my friends and they're helping me get through this. But... You don't seem to really..." She trailed off when his irritated expression started to wear on her. Yikes...

"Fighting to survive is human instinct," he explained condescendingly, "Who says I need anything else to survive this shit?" She flinched. Having not been meaning to spark anything negative between them, she hated to hear him talk like that directly at her.

"I was just wondering if there was anything, that's all."

What point was there in living for nothing? It seemed like a hollow existence to her, an impossible way to continue. It made her cringe and she crossed her arms, tapping her finger in thought. He put on another mean look, annoyed that she cared so much and annoyed that he had no idea what she was thinking about now. Oh, and he really needed a nap.

"There's nothing left, in case you didn't realize," he continued.

"There's people," she retorted. "Don't you have any faith in people?" This time he snorted and shook his head as though she were a naive child. Besides, she had freed a Hunter because of "faith" and that could have been disastrous. He stopped and his expression went blank. Could have been... but it was not. He shook his head again.

"You can only have faith in yourself."

"If it matters, everyone else has faith in you." Emily stood up and brushed her butt off before bidding him a silent goodnight and disappearing back into the safe-room. Nick continued to sit there, now too irate to sleep. Maybe he didn't have something to live for, but he did not need one.

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><p>Emily leaned against the door and kept her arms crossed and eyes on the floor. She'd get him to put some faith in her if it was the last thing she did because this one-sided thing was getting to her nerves.<p> 


	4. Empty Apartment

**_04__ Yellowcard - Empty Apartment_**

_AU. And horrible. XD; Nick wants to leave Emily because he feels guilty for being so terrible to her, but she wants to hold onto "them"._

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><p>That night, Nick did not come home when he said he would. You see, I had worked all day to make him a cake worthy for his birthday, but he said he had some things to do first, and then we would celebrate. I waited all night for him, sat on the couch with the little box which I kept his present, imagined how much he would enjoy the cake, and even took a couple naps. When the door finally opened, I shot up from my last nap and watched him stumble in. I felt my smile slip, but I kept it on and wore it the best I could. He noticed me immediately.<p>

"Oh..." He seemed to register how late his arrival was and that I was holding something. "Geez.. What time is it?" I glanced at the clock on the wall.

"1:30. In the morning." He paused.

"I'm... really late, aren't I?" I kept smiling as he came over and knelt in front of me, and then he hugged me. I set the box aside and hugged him back kind of, my hands on his chest and face in his neck. The odor was obvious: booze and perfume. I frowned.

"You smell funny," I pointed out quietly, keeping my voice hushed. I felt him tense up. "...I made you a cake. You go eat it. I'm tired, so I'm going to go to bed." I pushed him away gently and kisses the corner of his mouth, ignoring the knowing and guilty look he gave me.

I slept in my own room that night, hugging my pillow and crying quietly into it.

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><p>Nick stared at the cake on the kitchen table in silence, spinning the little box in his hands slowly. There was only one candle stuck into the half-hazard chocolate frosting, right above the rippled words that spelled out "Happy Birthday, Nick" with a little, horribly drawn heart. He thought about throwing it across the room but decided she did not deserve that. Instead, he sat down and choked down a piece of delicious but sloppy cake with a side of guilt.<p>

The sun hurt my eyes when I woke up the next morning. My pillow was still drenched, so I sat up and looked around the room. Then I remembered why I was not in his bed instead. On my nightstand was a little note in very familiar handwriting. I snatched it up, not bothering to read it thuroughly. There was only one word that I cared about and it was the only thing I saw.

**Sorry.**

I found his room vacant so I went to the living room, heart pounding and hands shaking. Ellis was on the couch watching some cartoon reruns from the 90s. He must have heard me come in because he turned and looked startled.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Have you seen Nick?" He thought for a moment and then looked puzzled.

"He went out this morning. He wouldn't tell me where he was goin' though." I looked down at the note in my hand and slapped my other hand over my mouth, my vision swimming.

**I'm sorry, Emily. It just was not going to work out after all, huh? I'm going to move into another house to make this easier, okay? So don't go looking for me.**

** Nick.**

That idiot!

Forgetting to put on clean clothes, I ran out the door, ignoring Ellis' calls for me. Stupid Nick! Did he really think I was going to let it end like this? After what I went through to get him to be with me in the first place? And did he think he was such a secret that I would not be able to locate him easily? I knew exactly where to go, assuming he was as guilty as he should feel.

The mound I had made for Bevel, my Hunter friend, and my dead father had a fresh flower on it and beside it stood Nick, a bag with his clothes hung on his shoulder.

"Come home," I said, standing behind him. He turned, hardly surprised that I was there. I crossed my arms to let him know I was not budging. "We're not giving up. If you want to do that now and again, fine. But we're going to talk about it whether you want to or not." I tried to keep my voice from cracking, and I was doing okay until I said "want to or not."

"You won't say that the next time it happens," he said bluntly. I rolled my eyes, only succeeding in letting some of the tears fall.

"Give yourself some credit; there won't be a next time." I wiped my eye and held out my other, dry, hand. "It's okay."

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><p>Nick stared at her welcoming hand, skeptic. But when he saw the chance to redeem himself, he walked over, took her hand, and kissed her forehead. He pulled away and touched his own forehead to hers, using his other hand to wipe her eye.<p>

"It's okay..."


	5. Teen Age Riot

**_05__ Sonic Youth - Teen Age Riot_**

_ Just something to break the boredom of every day, Emily concocts a plan and puts it in place in the park._

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><p>Nick sat outside on the stoop, cheek in his hand and his eyes on the trail of ants in front of him. Stupid things... they were always there, in the same line, carrying the same scraps from wherever to some hill probably beside the house. The sun overhead was hot and overbearing, a perfect personification for the daunting boredom he faced every day. There was never anything exciting going on, other than little dramas in the household. Other than that, he got his kicks from messing with Ellis, being with Emily, or drinking in the crappy little bar in the merchant section of Sanctuary. It left him unfulfilled and missing the old days. Too make things worse that day, everyone had left without telling him, leaving him alone and ready to stab himself from boredom.<p>

He sighed and lifted his head, looking across the dusty street at their neighbors. Great, they were gone too. Where the hell was everyone today? A younger girl, probably around 15, he mused, ran by so he stopped her.

"Hey! Kid! What's the rush?" He ignored how creepy it was for him to be striking up conversation with a minor. She smiled and motioned for him to follow.

"The park. Everyone's going to the park!" With that, she took off again. Nick blinked a few times before standing, brushing the dirt off his black slacks. The park? He decided to go check it out.

When he arrived, the grass was covered with people, all laughing and chattering excitedly. He put his hand over his eyes as a visor to look over the crowd before joining them. Way in the front, which he assumed was the front due to a ton of equipment and a makeshift stage, he saw Rochelle fussing over a huge amp. Ellis was beside her helping as he was familiar with such things. Coach was off the the side with Fiona, the woman motioning to a paper and explaining something. Where was Emily?

Suddenly, two arms wrapped themselves around his middle and someone pressed into his back. He jumped a little but knew immediately who it was.

"You came!" she said happily, smiling as she kissed his cheek. Now he was even more confused.

"What's...going on?" She let go and grabbed his hand instead, still grinning and tugging him towards the stage.

"It's a surprise. Come on, you have to be in the front for this!" He let himself be led to the stage, bothered by the smiles the others gave him when they noticed his presence. Ellis patted the top of the amp once and gave Emily a thumbs up.

"She's all ready," he said before joining Fiona and Akiko, who had just popped out of nowhere, off to the side. Instruments? Ellis picked up a bass, Fiona was fiddling with a synthesizer, and Akiko was tuning a guitar, the pick in her mouth and her eyes focused. It was slowly coming together for Nick. Emily disappeared from his side, leaving him to stand with Rochelle and Coach.

When they got onto the crappy, little stage, surrounded by some lights and amplifiers, everyone in the giant field erupted with claps and cheers. The show started with a low, rhythmic bass-line, and then Akiko joined in with her guitar. Even without an actual drummer, a drum-line joined in as well. They faded for a second, and then Ellis' bass picked up and led Akiko's guitar.

_"Everybody's talking about the stormy weather. What's a man to do but work out whether it's true."_

Okay, this was cooler than he thought. Sweet Emily singing on a stage with such a beautiful look in her eyes, it made him smile. He even found his foot tapping, but he remained otherwise stoic while the rest of the crowd swayed, jumped, and sang along if they knew the lyrics.

"_'Cause it's getting kind of quiet in my city's head; takes a teen age riot to get me out of bed right now."_

The song ended sooner than he wanted it to, but then they played another, and another. By the time they were done and turned on a play-list to keep the crowd going without live music, Nick just wanted to kidnap Emily for the night. She jumped off the front and landed in his arms, not caring whether he enjoyed lovey-dovey PDA or not. He buried his face in her neck and held her tightly, read to turn and carry her off. Unfortunately, the others made it impossible for him to take her away and they stayed until half of the crowd was passed out on the grass.

So much for boring.


	6. Cowboy Dan

**_06_**_ Modest Mouse - Cowboy Dan_

_He was going to take his own life when a stranger saves him._

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><p>Each step felt heavier the further he went. The city's dirty concrete gave the darkening metropolis a gray color, saturating the life of its citizens. It was, at least, sapping Nick's life quickly.<p>

He had to get out, away from the violence and death, the rain, and tears from widows and children. Rape and murder got under your skin, no matter how thick. His limit was reached when they killed a little girl's father for witnessing their crime. Now theywere after him. Because _no one_ got out, ever.

At least not with their life intact.

Nick could never get that child's face out of his head, always remembering the screaming and begging. The sounds chased him down the alley now, aided by the taunts of bad men he once considered his friends. The gun in his hand felt overly friendly, calling to him. With a grunt, he ran the rest of the way, turned onto a crowded street, and continued to run. Pushing through the mass of students, business men, and loud people on cell phones, he continued on, breathing heavily.

A girl yelped when his shoulder knocked her aside. But he could not stop. She called after him but he never looked back.

Storm clouds rumbled overhead when he collapsed in the alleyway. His pistol felt heavy as he stared at it, chest heaving. It was not or never. Either _they_ got him or… He put it to his head. A raindrop splashed the bridge of his nose as his finger twitched.

Two hands touched his wrist tenderly, slowly curling and pulling his gun from his temple. More raindrops dotted the concrete as he lifted his gaze to the one who saved his life. The shade hid their shine, but the young woman was beautiful. She smiled wordlessly.

Why, he wondered, would a stranger...? A gunshot rang out in the hallway, ricocheting off the wall near his ear. He instantly wrapped an arm around her and pulled her out of the way as another sped past where her head had been. Nick jumped to his feet, arm still firmly around her and ran for the street again. She held his jacket so she could keep up and not fall. The rain picked up quickly, already creating puddles and soaking them from head to toe.

There was more shouting behind them, more bullets whizzing past them. They turned onto the street and ran for the next alley, hoping to zigzag again and lose them. People screamed when guns fired in the crowd. Nick yanked her into the alley. There had been a crash from the street, so he figured they had been cut off, judging by the angry shouting. He pulled her with him, collapsing behind a dumpster with her body falling against his. His arm stayed around her waist as he held his pistol at the ready. The white suit he wore was drenched and her t-shirt and jeans were as well. Their hair clung to their faces.

She gasped and he felt her hand on his leg. Blood spread across his thigh rapidly and he winced. His head leaned against the metal while he cursed under his breath. The young woman looked at him, worried, but he smiled at her and said he would be fine. Rain ran the blood through his pants and onto the concrete. The pursuers entered the alley with more shouting; they were closing in. He told her he did not have enough bullets to take all of them out and she knew already there was no chance of running anymore. He asked her name.

Emily.

Nick apologized for dragging her into his problems, but she smiled again and shook her head. There was no way she could let anyone die like that, and there was no way he was going to die like this.

She took his gun and took his hand.

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><p><strong>Obviously not Spring Break anymore.. but I wanted to finish all of the songs. Or.. at least just this one. It's my favorite. - Samu [July 22, 2011]<strong>


End file.
